This winter, approximately 30 students will shadow alumni across a variety of fields and specialities as part of the Liberal Arts to Careers Externship program (LACE).
LACE is an externship opportunity sponsored by Harpur Edge that aims to create opportunities for students to explore career options and gain insight into the realities of the workplace.
Students enrolled in LACE are matched with professional alumni of Binghamton University for a shadowing experience over the winter or summer break. During these sessions with University alumni, students observe day-to-day activities in the workplace environment, learn proper business etiquette and develop relationships to build a professional network. The alumni, known as sponsors, are paired with students based on interests, availability and geographical proximity.
According to Ashley Serbonich, LACE coordinator and assistant director of Harpur Edge, the program helps students advance their career development and develop future goals.
“LACE helps students to refine their goals and determine the next steps in degree planning and the career development process,” Serbonich said. “Students can see, firsthand, the value of a Harpur College degree.”
Serbonich said sponsors and students meet for three to five visits at the sponsor’s workplace. While with the sponsor, students meet the sponsor’s co-workers and gain an understanding of their sponsor’s job responsibilities.
Liberal arts students enrolled in Harpur College must be in good academic standing with a minimum 2.75 GPA and one year of college experience to be eligible to apply. The program is generally geared toward rising and current sophomores, but juniors and seniors are eligible to enroll in LACE as well.
Michael-Luca Natt, a sophomore majoring in environmental studies, is considering applying to LACE. He said the program may be beneficial for his career development.
“I hope that if I apply to LACE and get accepted, the program will provide me with workplace experience and potential employment opportunities,” Natt said.
Students who are interested in the program are required to provide a résumé, a cover letter, a choice of career field and a recommendation from a BU faculty or staff member. Accepted students will then be interviewed and placed with a sponsor. This winter, there are 36 externship sites available across 16 different fields, including administration, business, education, teaching and health care. Students considering applying for the program are encouraged to write down the top five fields they may be interested in.
The deadline to apply for LACE for this winter session is Oct. 22, 2018.